A story about business recovery after a disaster.

In 2009 Dave Stirling lost five businesses in Victoria’s Black Saturday bush fires. Then, after rebuilding, his son was critically injured in a boating accident and was in a coma for months. Dave talks about how he and his wife got back up and running with a new business – Tower Motel in Marysville, a lovely, quite hotel in Melbourne’s gorgeous countryside, and why it was important to them they go back into business.

It took 6 months after the fires before Dave and his wife started talking about starting up another venture after losing everything. Family and community support gave them the encouragement to give it another try and now they have a small business that is starting to thrive again.

Dave shares his business wisdom about:

• What little things can make all the difference.
• Community and how it brings everyone together.
• How the kindness of strangers has helped in so many ways.
• Finding the ‘why you are in business’ and using that to motivate you.
• Looking around to see what else you can do to make a difference.
• Realising what is important in life.
• Having more than one business and how it was a blessing.
• Understanding who you are marketing to.

Listener question and feedback

• Anthony Murphy from Mirfak explains how he has expanded his brand and asks how to gauge if there will be an audience for his new podcast and I recommend a lapel microphone that pares with the iphone, Rode Smartlav.
• Paul Smart provides some great feedback on a crowdfunding strategy he has used to grow his business and he was kind enough to mention SBBM on Iquitmyjob.com.au.
• Grant Demsy mentions his learnings from a previous podcast on guerrilla marketing.

Upcoming Content Marketing Webinar

As promised, my Content Marketing Webinar is now scheduled for Wednesday, 4 December. Click HERE to find out more and sign up because you will discover:

• Why there’s never been a better time to market a small business.
• What content marketing is.
• Why it’s an important part of any small business’s marketing strategy in 2014.
• My simple, 5-step pain-free process to swiftly implementing content marketing strategy.
• How to define your editorial mission.
• How to never run out of content.
• 3 forms of content marketing to get you started.
• PLUS question time.

Join us in the Small Business Big Marketing Forum where there is new topics each week up for discussion. Become a Member here.

If you like what you hear then have your say in the comment section below. If you didn’t like what you heard, then I would still love to hear from you.

Feel free to leave a comment below, on the Small Business Big Marketing Facebook page, or join fellow motivated business owners in the Small Business Big Marketing Forum. Let’s get that marketing discussion happening.

Until next time, may your marketing be the best marketing …

Timbo Reid – Marketing Speaker
Host of Australia’s #1 Marketing Show

business recovery after a disaster